Dankai no sedai - Japanese baby boomer

This is a funny "Visiting a Japanese House" game. Those questions and answers are not wrong, but I have no friends who have Kotatsu, Butsudan, Kamidana, or even a Washitsu (Japanese style room) at home, including me. So don't misunderstand that every Japanese lives in such a kind of house. Actually in the Showa period, those were typical Japanese houses, so Sazae san (another link) lives in such a type of house and a Japanese baby boomer would have lived in such a house before too.

Japanese baby boomers are called "Dankai no sedai" in Japanese. "Dankai” means mass or clot. American Baby Boomers are people born from 1947-1964(14 years). They number over 80 million and are about 27% of population. On the other hand, Japanese "Dankai no sedai" are born from 1947- 1949 (3 years) only, but they number 9 million and are 7% of the population of Japan. It means the Dankai no sedai exert a large influence on this society.

Wikipedia lists the character of Japanese Dankai no sedai.
-They had very hard competition for everything, they tend to be assertive but also nervous for equality.
-Generally they are said to be independent and social pioneers. However, truly independent persons are a small minority; most of them are said to have "awaiting instructions syndrome." They can't fit into today's society, but in the high-growth period of the Japanese economy (60's - 70's), people who could be faithful to order worked fine.
-They heard the horror of war from their parents and people around them, and so they are nervous regarding issues about war.
-They are very competitive but also they have a serious self complex.

Anyway most Dankai no sedai will retire in 2007 next year; it is even called the "2007 issue" in this country. When we say 2007 issue, it has bad and good images. One bad image is that those retired people will step on young people's employment chances until they start to get annual pensions. Another one is that they will retire with a lot of retirement money. Companies are trying to explore this Dankai Market. For example, in the new year some department stores will sell gougers called "fukubukuro" for the Dankai Market. Some sell the 2 round-the-world voyage (over 20 million yen) and golf sets with diamond and ruby on head parts ( 33 million yen), and Mitsukoshi will sell a Sukiyaki pot of 24-karat gold etc ....Who needs it? What poor taste. Actually I read that it is very hard to get the Dankai Market, because Dankai generation people don't want to be treated as old and their self-image is 10 years younger than their real age. But stores tend to think "something for the old" or "expensive but no sense."

Related Link
Japan's Baby Boomer Generation
Political parties recruiting baby boomers for local assembly seats
The Japanese Experience

Comments

[Mari]

Ah it's interseting to point out Doraemon and maruko. But Maruko is story about middle Showa and Doraemon was written in 1969 first. Background of both animation are old Japan.

[cloneofsnake]

Hmm, I guess I didn't realize Japan is seeing less and less of this traditional house. We see them in anime all the time, like Doraemon and Chibi Maruko, I think these houses are so sweet! I was also fortunate enough to stay in such a house (in Tokyo no less!), it's a Ryokan in Asakusa, it's a special experience in my heart, but now I'm gonna treasure it even more!! BTW, I think the kotatsu is a great idea! It really keeps u warm, unless u have to go to the bathroom of course, then that's hell.

[Mari]

Hi Thank you for your comments. Wow you experient such traditional winter. That is nice :)

[L. Cone]

Iam fortunate enough to know people in Akita Prefecture who live in a traditional Japanese home. They have a kotatsu and a kamidana and the whole house is washitsu. Ivisited thee once inthe summer and again last March; it was very snowy and cold. They are very traditional people who usually serve guests in a separate room. It was so cold in March they apologized for eating dinner with me in the same room (!) so we could all share the woodstove and kotatsu. They put a futon in the Kamidana room for me and gave me a hot water bottle and a kerosene stove. I was under about seven blankets and had the hot water bottle on my feet; it was very cozy and I didn't need the kerosene heater at all. The sound of the wind rattling the glass shoji panels lulled me to sleep. It is a very precious memory.